Wichita eagle., 1887-06-17
:. IN THE MANCOS CANYON.
Relics of a People Who Have Faded from
the Earth-What a PrOspectOr Saw.

Relics of a People Who Have Faded from
the Earth-What Prospector Saw.
The largest cliff house is worthy OF q
better description than l can give, but
viii try to describe it in my own way. IL
a situate in Bear canyon $50 named Dy
prospectors, about three miles from tho
Maucos CANYON, on the west side. From
the bottom of the canyon it requires abOuo
one and one-half miles walk from point
Immediately below it to reach 1t. IN
climbing the cliffs on the route took
found footsteps cut in the rock, and think
the people who lived here must have gone
ND in the same way that l did When 1
arrived found perpendicular cliff about
forty feet high, which l climbed, by the
MD of a rope which l threw on to small
cedar, at the risk of breaking my neck,
but was well repaid for my troubles by
finding building at least 2o0 feet IN
length, six stories in height in the front,
and from four to six rooms deep INTO tne
cliff. This seems to have been chiefs
house. or perhaps Pan Electric director,
or perhaps a doodle man. The rooms were
finely plastered with gypsum, which had
a beautiful pink cast. In one room were
stone lasts, rudely shaped, but after the
fashion of the shoemaker's last OF to-day.
Another room had arrow heads, stone
axes and hatchets. There are also two
weaving rooms In one there is rude
kind Of loom, in the other shutties ana
other implements for weaving; but as
do not understand weaving as well as the
ancients, l cannot describe them. found
specimens of cloth resembling coarse linen.
At one end found chicken house with
roosts for chickens. / also found jugs OF
pottery made to resemble our white
mountain quail, and think perhaps that
the mountain quail was at one time the
domestic fowl of these people.
There is also room in which venison
has been smoked. Every building has
round water tank, from ten to fifteen feet
across, and the larger buildings as many
as three The tanks vary in depth from
five to ten feet. The kitchens of these
buildings seem to have been built weaker
than any other part, as they have nearly
all tumbled down, while the other parts
of the buildings are strong. There are
bushels of broken pottery in the parts
fallen down. so naturally supposed them
TO be kitchens never found building
in which the kitchen was standing. but
do not doubt but there are some of them
left standing If one could be found that
had not fallen, j think that there would
he great deal of pottery found. In every
ruin can be found corn cobs and husks,
squash rinds, bone knives, and curious
articles that I could not make out Tor
what use they were intended There arc
one or more granaries connected with
every building. They have doors and
windows in which slabs of slate are fitted
to such nicely that mouse could never
get into them. There are also cellars in
which l found large jars covered with
smooth, fat stones. What they contained
/ can only surmise.
The buildings were heated with rude
kind of furnace, a pasSageway built OF
stone and cement inside running the full
length of the lower floor, as l supposed
for carving heat to different apartments.
The walls in some places are covered with
paintings in which red colors predomlnate.
Pictures of men, women, animals and
birds.-San Miguel tColoD Cor. Denver
Tribune.